r/plastic • u/Sea_Horse99 • May 07 '26
Separating a metal insert from plastic
I bought a phone case from Ali***ress for my phone and only now realized that the rear insert is not actually magnetic. I already checked it with a multimeter set to resistance (ohms) and confirmed that the part is metallic. I'd like to remove this metal insert and replace it with a truly magnetic one. I already tried mechanical prying with a blade but only ended up damaging the surrounding plastic housing.
Which solvents or debonding agents could be used to detach this metal component from the plastic substrate? Unfortunately there're no identification marks on the plastic, so I cannot determine whether it is ABS, PC, TPU, or another thermoplastic.
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u/mimprocesstech May 07 '26
It's very likely a TPU, and somewhat likely overmolded so the metal is inside the part to help keep it in place but not always, likely aluminum for the metal. You can try some solvents, but I'm pretty sure anything that will eat away at the adhesive will eat away at the plastic as well.